The latest house price index from the British land registry shows a fall of 0.3% in April, bringing the average house price in England and Wales down to £152,898. The Land registry index is the only accurate figures available – although they lag behind the Building Society figures by a month or so, they reflect a more accurate picture because they are based on actual sales values rather than a building society’s mortgage value of an over-optimistic estate agent’s off-the-top-of-his-head valuation.
More on House prices in the UK fall for 20th consecutive month
Hand written price reductions in a French Estate Agents Window
After months of denying the reality of the real estate correction, professionals in the industry have finally admitted there is a correction undrway. Figures published last week by the Chamber of Notaries of Paris-Ile-de-France tell a different tale to the usual “we are immune,” coming from the FNAIM. The housing market all but collapsed in the Paris region – 22 980 transactions were recorded in the first quarter of 2009 against 39 580 during the same period in 2008, a drop of 41% and the lowest figure since 1986.
A recent New York Times article describes how the economic downturn and the foreclosure crisis are creating a new kind of real estate entrepreneur.
A flood of absentee buyers are now looking to purchase foreclosed and REO properties at rock bottom prices and then offer them up to the former homeowners as rentals before the original occupants ever leave.
More on Entrepreneurs in High-Foreclosure Areas Turn Homeowners Into Tenants
These are a few recent headlines and predictions about when the real estate market will bottom out. Of course, there are a select few who have been calling the bottom for some time now. Oddly enough, these tend to be real estate agents and newspaper columns. Speaking of newspaper columns, we are sad to see the end of “Raising the Roof,” the erstwhile International Herald Tribune and more recently, New York Times’ very own property blog. Kevin Brass will continue to write the print edition property column for the NYT, but the online version is no more. Honestly – this was one of the few international newspaper property blogs worth reading, and I don’t think I ever once saw a “We have reached bottom, Buy Now!” headline – which may be why it has gone the way of all things? Newspaper advertising is drying up faster than the 120% mortgages did.
The Knight Frank Global House Price Index shows pretty much what everyone in the industry expected. Dubai and Singapore show the largest drops in value, with more stable housing markets performing better than those affected by the recent credit boom and subsequent housing bubble, and the decline looking to continue for the foreseeable future. Key points of the report are from Knight Frank’s press release:
Dubai’s first property auction took place last night, and not a single one of the four properties up for auction was sold. On the block were three villas in Arabian ranches and a penthouse in Jumeirah beach. Bids were received on only two properties, but both failed to sell. Prior to the auction, the organizers were excited to be able to “see a true reflection of the current market value,” so it seems the current market value is somewhere below the reserves.
The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller National Home Price index released data for the first quarter of 2009 this week showing that overall home prices in the U.S. fell by an average of 19.1%, the largest drop in a single quarter in the 21-year history of the index itself.
The hastily-introduced law No 9 in Dubai heavily favors property developers, and prevents any investors from pulling out of deals, without good reasons while allowing developers to cancel, rearrange or renegotiate the deal. The key points are:
The Times, which has apparently become a government press release farm, is all excited about a new mortgage product by government-owned Lloyds TSB. “First-time buyer deal breaks mortgage deadlock,” says the Times, and the lead in is “Lloyds TSB earns praise for new 95 per cent LTV.”
